Lost and found: Frogs in a biodiversity hotspot rediscovered with environmental DNA

Author(s)

Lopes, Carla Martins ^[1] ; Baeta, Delio ^[1] ; Valentini, Alice ^[2] ; Lyra, Mariana Lucio ^[1] ; Sabbag, Ariadne Fares ^[1] ; Gasparini, Joao Luiz ^[3] ; Dejean, Tony ^[2] ; Basptista Haddad, Celio Fernando ^[1] ; Zamudio, Kelly Raquel ^[4]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Dept Biodiversidade, IB, Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[2] SPYGEN, Le Bourget Du Lac - France

^[3] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro UFRJ, Nucleo Ecol & Desenvolvimento Socioambiental Maca, Macae, RJ - Brazil

^[4] Cornell Univ, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ithaca, NY - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Molecular Ecology; v. 30, n. 13, SI, p. 3289-3298, JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

Declines and extinctions are increasing globally and challenge conservationists to keep pace with biodiversity monitoring. Organisms leave DNA traces in the environment, e.g., in soil, water, and air. These DNA traces are referred to as environmental DNA (eDNA). The analysis of eDNA is a highly sensitive method with the potential to rapidly assess local diversity and the status of threatened species. We searched for DNA traces of 30 target amphibian species of conservation concern, at different levels of threat, using an environmental DNA metabarcoding approach, together with an extensive sequence reference database to analyse water samples from six montane sites in the Atlantic Coastal Forest and adjacent Cerrado grasslands of Brazil. We successfully detected DNA traces of four declined species (Hylodes ornatus,Hylodes regius,Crossodactylus timbuhy, andVitreorana eurygnatha); two locally disappeared (Phasmahyla exilisandPhasmahyla guttata); and one species that has not been seen since 1968 (putatively assigned toMegaelosia bocainensis). We confirm the presence of species undetected by traditional methods, underscoring the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding for biodiversity monitoring at low population densities, especially in megadiverse tropical sites. Our results support the potential application of eDNA in conservation biology, to evaluate persistence and distribution of threatened species in surveyed habitats or sites, and improve accuracy of red lists, especially for species undetected over long periods. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50741-7 - Diversity and conservation of Brazilian amphibians
• Grantee: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/25370-2 - Diversity and Evolution in Phyllomedusinae (Anura: Hylidae) and its relations with Pelodryadinae.
• Grantee: Délio Pontes Baêta da Costa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/14054-3 - Environmental DNA applied to monitoring and conservation studies of anurans in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
• Grantee: Carla Martins Lopes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral